Championships: Offense or Defense?

[hawkeye]

Defense wins championships....Offense sells tickets. Has times changed? UT Martin was #4 in scoring offense last year and averaged 38 points a game. We got to the conference championship last year but lost to EKU. In 2006 the defense got us to the first round against SIU. Most of the offense is back this year. Defense is average at most this year. Has times changed that defense no longer rules?

[jonmac]

Well, this is a topic that can garner a bunch of posts. I think it can be done both ways. It makes sense to say that if you have a great defense that can limit the scoring of the opponent then you will not have to score many points to win. But if you have an unstoppable offense that can score more points than the other team then that would work too. I guess in the end your defense has to be able to limit the opponent to fewer points than you score. To win championships you better have both a good D and a good O. I really don't know if one would outweigh the other. It takes the whole package coming together at the right time, many times, to win championships.

There, did I cover all the bases?

[WileECoyote06]

I think it depends on the talent level. At FCS, I lean more towards offense.

At BCS and NFL, defense still rules the day. The only Super Bowl winners in the last ten years which featured a more prominent offense than defense were the Rams and the Colts. And even they had efficient defenses.

[appfan2008]

I agree that at this level offense is very important... during our run we have been much more noted for our O... our D has been fine but not top of the nation great like our O

[GATA]

You need both..."Defense wins championships" is just another cute catchphrase that people take way too seriously. Just because a football coach said it one time doesn't mean it's the gospel. Football coaches also said that the flexbone was a predictable, played out, high school offense and would never work in the ACC...

The only time I've ever seen a team win a championship with an absolute garbage offense was when the Ravens won it. If you can't score points you're not going to win...you can just AVOID getting blown out all the time by having a good defense. You need to be able to score points.

How often do you see a championship team that isn't solid on both sides of the ball? They're both important. Don't forget about those special teams.

[hawkeye]

You need both..."Defense wins championships" is just another cute catchphrase that people take way too seriously. Just because a football coach said it one time doesn't mean it's the gospel. Football coaches also said that the flexbone was a predictable, played out, high school offense and would never work in the ACC...

The only time I've ever seen a team win a championship with an absolute garbage offense was when the Ravens won it. If you can't score points you're not going to win...you can just AVOID getting blown out all the time by having a good defense. You need to be able to score points.

How often do you see a championship team that isn't solid on both sides of the ball? They're both important. Don't forget about those special teams.

Great point on "Special teams". Rarely discussed yet many times its the game breaker. Just like the last two meetings with EKU for us which came down to a blocked field goal to end the game and a long field goal to win the game for EKU.

[RichH2]

Offense Defense Specials

IMHO, no single aspect can win for your team. Great O with avg D and ST might do it. Likewise great D with avg other aspects could do it.

Real quote should be that a bad O or D or ST can stop a team cold , even if it has a great O.

Lehigh had a bunch of teams with greatOs, " Air Lehigh" , consistent winning seasons but could never get over the hump because lacking either on D or ST or both

[PapaBear]

Defense prevents losses. Offense wins games.

In a tie game with 2:00 left on the clock and the ball on the -20, who do you want on the field, your offense or your defense?

No matter how dominant a defense you have, you still want your offense on the field at crunch time. You want the ball in your hands, because without it, you can't score the winning TD or field goal.

This is not to devalue the importance of defense. But, defense's main job is to get the ball back for the offense. The more dominant your defense is, the better they accomplish that fundamental goal, the more chances your offense has to score points and win games.

Here's another way to look at it: If your offense eats up clock and stays on the field and wins the time of possession battle, you'll often win the game. But if your defense is on the field too long, you'll often lose.

jm

[jstclmet]

In 07 Appy's great offense overshadowed their very good defense.

In 08 UR's very good defense shut down Montana's very good offense.

Conversely, UR's offense was good (not very good, but good). Montana's defense was avg at best. With a backup QB, JMU almost came back on Montana. And as seen in the NC game UR's offense had it's way against Montana.

Team health, a good defense, good offense, Special teams will determine the 09 NC winner.

[89Hen]

You need both..."Defense wins championships" is just another cute catchphrase that people take way too seriously.

For the most part. The Ravens won a Super Bowl without offense. It's rare, but D can win the game by itself.